(Undated)– Several northwest Iowa cities say this past weekend’s heavy rains resulted in them bypassing wastewater into area streams and rivers in order to avoid sewage backing up into homes.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says the city of Alta bypassed more than one million gallons of partially treated wastewater as of 8:00 this (Monday) morning. Authorities say the bypassing began after a three and-a-half inch rain occurred Saturday. The wastewater was going through a static screen before dumping into a tributary of the Maple River.
The city of Hull pumped about 540-thousand gallons of sewage into Burr Oak Creek…a tributary of the Rock River…between 2:00 a.m. Sunday and 8:00 a.m. this (Monday) morning. Officials say the treatment lagoons were about to overflow.
And Sheldon briefly bypassed small amounts of wastewater on and off Friday evening from a lift station on the north side of town. City officials estimate about eight thousand gallons of sewage went into the Floyd River.
